Richard Rogers, the cofounder of Mary Kay Cosmetics and son of Mary Kay Ash, died Tuesday at age 82.
His family, who confirmed his death, said it came following a long illness. In a statement, they thanked Rogers’ medical team.
Richard Raymond Rogers was born April 15, 1943, in Bryan, Texas, to musician Julius Ben Rogers and Mary Kathlyn Wagner Rogers, the latter of whom he would cofound Mary Kay Cosmetics with in 1963. Prior to that, Richard Rogers had attended Allen Military Academy and then Dallas’ Hillcrest High School.
He went on to serve in a number of different capacities at Mary Kay, including president, chief executive officer, chairman of the board and executive chairman. Rogers had taken an eight-year hiatus a few decades into the company’s founding, and assumed the role of CEO in 2001 prior to the death of his mother later that year.
“During recent months, Mother has been clear in her hope and encouragement of my return to a leadership role in the company we founded together almost 40 years ago. Honoring her wish is the right and only decision for me, giving her comfort and peace of mind that Mary Kay Cosmetics will remain a private family-held enterprise,” Rogers wrote to employees at the time.
At the time of Ash’s death, Mary Kay had already passed the $1 billion annual sales mark globally. The brand has held slots in WWD’s annual ranking of the top 100 beauty companies, with 2024 sales estimated around $4.6 billion. At that time it was the world’s top direct seller of skin care and makeup. That year, it had also launched a skin care range targeting younger consumers. It has had millions of beauty consultants.
Lesser known ventures of Rogers include the aviation services company Million Air, based in Addison, Texas; various forays into the energy industry, and the business entity Richmont he disbanded upon his return to Mary Kay.
Outside of his professional life, he was known for philanthropic pursuits, his enjoyment of golf, speedboat and car racing, yachting, skiing and art collecting. He spent much of his time with his wife, Nancy C. Rogers, at their homes in Aspen and Mexico.
“Throughout his life, Richard believed that success carried with it a responsibility to give back,” said a statement from Rogers’ family. “He will be remembered as a man who lived fully, gave generously and remained steadfast in his integrity. His legacy lives on not only in the business he created, but in the lives he touched, the family and friends he cared for and the values he exemplified.”
Rogers is survived by his wife, four children, nine grandchildren and his great-granddaughter.
Services are to be held at Highland Park United Methodist Church. In lieu of flowers, the family asked for contributions to the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society.
